Discover the Latest MS Treatment Options

Promising new Multiple Sclerosis treatment options to help you fight the battle against the condition.

MS or multiple sclerosis is a chronic nervous system disease that is unpredictable and debilitating. People diagnosed with MS suffer from the progressive deterioration and thinning of myelin. Myelin is the protective layer that covers all the nerves in the human body. It is also responsible for the speed at which nerve signal transmissions take place. It is needless to say that the deterioration of myelin has a lot of adverse effects. When myelin is damaged, the functioning of the nerves gets affected detrimentally. However, MS affects different people in different ways, and as such, the causes, MS symptoms and MS treatment results differ from person to person.

In general, MS symptoms include:

Mobility issues

Balance problems

Slurred speech

Muscle spasms

Muscle stiffness

Vision loss

Tingling or pain throughout the body

Memory loss

Loss of cognitive functioning

Focus of MS Treatment

While there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, there are a number of new MS treatment options that are now available for people diagnosed with this debilitating condition. MS treatment helps by slowing the progression of the disease, minimizing the impact of the symptoms, minimizing flare-ups, improving cognitive functioning as well as physical functioning. Along with these medications, behavioral therapy is known to help people diagnosed with MS to lead more fulfilling lives. There are plenty of support groups that offer emotional support and real-life experiences for you to learn from.

Some of the new MS treatment drugs include:

1. Aubagio

Approved for use as MS treatment medication in 2012, Aubagio or Teriflunomide is an oral drug that focuses on slowing down the progression of multiple sclerosis. Known as a disease-modifying medication, Aubagio is the second orally-taken MS treatment option that has received approval.

According to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, people who took teriflunomide displayed significantly reduced disease progression rates and also had fewer relapses and flare-ups as compared to the group on placebos. Similarly, the group on a higher dosage of the drug (14 mg) showed an even lower rate of disease progression as compared to those on a lower dosage (7 mg).

2. Ampyra

Ampyra or Dalfampridine is a known potassium channel blocker that is now being used as an MS treatment drug. One of the many symptoms of myelin damage is the adverse impact on mobility and movement. The lack of myelin affects the transmission of nerve signals, which in turn results in loss of mobility functions and imbalanced gait. Nerve fibers have potassium channels on their surface. The use of Ampyra blocks these channels and improves nerve conduction which is beneficial for MS patients.

According to research published by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, dalfampridine helps to increase the walking speed of MS patients. The study shows that participants who took 10mg of the medication daily showed improved walking speed during a 6-minute test. The drug also improved leg muscle strength, thereby enabling MS patients to walk properly and maintain balance.

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